.gif)
Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan said the extremists who attacked Mumbai were un-Islamic, as his fellow Muslim actors announced they would not celebrate an upcoming religious festival.
"There's nothing Islamic about terrorism. I am a Muslim, I read the Koran, but nowhere in the holy text does it say you can get 'jannat' (paradise) from 'jihad'," he was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times of India.
Khan, 43, is one of a number of Muslims who dominate Bollywood, where unlike some other walks of life in Hindu-majority India, religion is no bar to fame and fortune.
The actor, whose wife is Hindu, is currently working on a new film -- "My Name is Khan" -- exploring Islam in the post-9/11 world and the misconception that all Muslims are extremists.
India has accused a Pakistan-based Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, of being behind the November 26-29 attacks, which left 163 civilians and security personnel dead. Islamabad is demanding concrete proof of their involvement.
Khan -- who was in Malaysia at the weekend to receive a special award -- told The Hindustan Times in an interview that Pakistan was "living in denial... let us accept the truth that these guys (extremists) are being trained there."
Mumbai's Muslim minority, fearing reprisals, have said they will conduct only low-key celebrations for the upcoming Eid-al-Adha festival, which marks the prophet Ibrahim's obedience to God with the ritual slaughter of animals.
Film stars including leading actress Katrina Kaif and actor Irrfan Khan expressed solidarity with those affected by the attacks.
"The question of celebration doesn't arise," Kaif told the Sunday Times of India.
* Get local and international rugby news & results on your fone. Txt VRUG to 333 now.
-23 17:35:20
